LOS ANGELES, CA.- The collection of hundreds of French and American art glass treasures from the estate of former fashion model and prolific 1950s and 1960s film and television actress, Lori Nelson (1933-2020), will be offered at auction in Los Angeles and online by Goldberg Coins & Collectibles on October 8, 2026.
The collection includes art glass by Tiffany, Gall, Steuben, Daum Nancy, and other prominent artists of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Before, during, and after her career with Universal Pictures, Lori Nelson was a passionate collector who assembled one of the largest private collections of French and American art glass. She took extreme care to preserve and secure her treasures. In fact, because of the precautions she took, all but one of her more than 300 art glass items safely survived intact the 6.7 magnitude Northridge earthquake that shook Los Angeles in 1994, said Freeman Fisher, Goldberg Coins & Collectibles Director of Collectibles.
There are many museum-quality and important pieces, Fisher emphasized.
Nelsons husband, Joseph Reiner, kept the collection preserved over the six years since her death, and it is now consigned to auction.
The Lori Nelson collection includes glass pieces by Louis Comfort Tiffany, which all have the name Tiffany Favrile, the name of his glassworks. These include two signed lamps, which are in high demand.
Also included is a large collection by the master of French cameo and art glass, Galle, and his contemporaries Daum Nancy, Steuben, Muller Freres, Argy Rousseau, Saint-Louis, La Rochere, Lalique, and others. There are examples of glass from the late 1800s.
Lori actually became a certified appraiser of antique and French art glass. She left notes inside each piece, including where it was purchased or acquired, and what makes it special. Her glass was her absolute passion, and her eye for the most beautiful works by an artist is clearly apparent, stated Fisher.
According to the IMDB database of film and television productions, Nelson appeared in more than 50 movies and TV programs between 1952 and 2005, with her busiest years in the 1950s and 1960s.
She was married to composer Johnny Mann from 1960 to 1973, and then was married to Joseph Reiner from 1983 until she died in 2020.
Our family has been in the collectibles business for over 70 years, and I personally collected art glass. The Lori Nelson Collection is the best group we have ever offered at auction, stated Larry Goldberg, Co-Owner of Goldberg Coins & Collectibles